The present invention relates to cutting tools and wear surfaces and, more specifically, to extending the usable life of those tools and surfaces.
Several types of cutting tools and wear surfaces are known in the art. Cutting tools include knife and saw blades, including those used to cut ceramic, wood, metal, semiconductor, etc. Wear surfaces generally refer to any industrial surface for which a hardened, extended wear surface is desired. Drums, gears, shafts, pulleys and almost any lubricated mechanically contacting surfaces are examples of wear surfaces within the present invention. While the present invention was initially developed in the context of toothed saw blades, it should be recognized that the present invention is applicable to all saw blades and wear surfaces, and particularly to metal substrated saw blades and wear surfaces.
Diamonds are known for their characteristic durability and hardness. For that reason, various diamond tipped saw blades have been developed. U.S. Patents disclosing such saw blades include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,268; 5,488,774; 5,408,983; and 5,316,559. Saw blades in these patents typically utilize amorphous diamond particles or other diamond or diamond like particles. The diamond material is mounted to the saw blade substrate by nickel mediated mounting (where the nickel acts as an adhesive), direct deposition via energized plasma, and graphite fiber or vapor mediated mounting, amongst others. In general, current techniques for mounting diamond particles are disadvantageous in that they are either too complicated, too expensive or do not produce sufficient, long lasting adhesion.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid Open Patent no. JP357127674A teaches an internal peripheral saw blade in which nickel is used to mount diamond particles to the aluminum substrate of the saw blade. Nickel is used, amongst other reasons, because it is a relatively soft metal and can be worked into a solution that facilitates electroplating. As a relatively soft metal, however, nickel does not provide a desired level of adhesion when subjected to physical stresses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,983, issued to Lazarou on Feb. 8, 1994, teaches a device to sharpen saw or knife blades, often referred to in the trade as a xe2x80x9cgrinder.xe2x80x9d In the sharpening or grinding device of Lazarou, the diamond particles are coated to the grinder substrate by an electro bonding-process in which the diamond particles are provided in solution with nickel chrome. This arrangement is disadvantageous in that it relies, at least in part, on nickel (which is disadvantageous for the reasons discussed above) and further in that it is limited to grinding devices. Grinding devices are typically more abrasive (rougher surfaces) and have different sized diamond particles than cutting blades or wear surfaces (wear surfaces tend to be rather smooth). Grinding devices are also typically subjected to greater abrasion forces than cutting or wear surfaces.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a saw blade or wear surface that has increased durability and extended life compared to prior art saw blades or wear surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such saw blades or wear surfaces in a cost effective manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide saw blades or wear surface that are xe2x80x9chardenedxe2x80x9d with a layer of diamond particles that are mounted to the substrate with chromium.
It is also an object to use nanometer range diamond particles, amongst other sizes, in achieving saw blades or wear surfaces in accordance with the present invention.
In one embodiment, the present invention includes an article used in cutting or as a wear surface that has a body having a first surface, diamond particles, and a chromium containing material coupling the diamond particles to the first surface. The diamond particles may be less than approximately one micrometer in length or between 500 and 0.05 nanometers in length, or another size. The chromium containing material may contain elemental chromium and/or a chromium alloy. The surface having the diamond particles mounted thereon may be a cutting surface or a wear surface.
The present invention also includes an article made by the process of providing an article body having a first surface, providing diamond particles, and mounting the diamond particles to the first surface with a chromium containing material.
A method of forming such an article is also within the present invention.
These and related objects of the present invention are achieved by use of a chromium mounted diamond particle cutting tool or wear surface (and method and making same) as described herein.
The attainment of the foregoing and related advantages and features of the invention should be more readily apparent to those skilled in the art, after review of the following more detailed description of the invention taken together with the drawings.